Editing "This Troper"s out of articles: what's the policy?: This Troper

Hi. I'm probably a newbie as I've been on this site less than a year, have only been responsible for launching one article, and only edit occasionally. But for some reason massive misuse of "This Troper..." edits in articles where it's not supposed to be used pisses me off, probably because (1) it's self indulgent and stupid and (2) it's really apparent to anybody moderately familiar with this site that it's a no-no.

I'm not about to start slashing and burning through articles or anything, but I was wondering if there's a common practice for editing "This Troper"isms out of articles. Do you just re-parse the entire submission, subtracting the "This Troper..." and adding the active voice? Or do you helpfully hyperlink the "This Troper" to the article This Troper so maybe they come back and take a hint?

Edit with extreme prejudice. So, the first option, rewrite into the active phrasing.

Don't take life too seriously. It's only a temporary situation.

Every instance of this troper on main should be cleansed with Unholy Fire.

It's not just an annoying verbal tick, articles are suposed to sound like they are written by one person (saying "I" is just as against the rules).

Then I'd send him a PM politley telling him to stop.

I'd let it slide on places like Troper Tales, Just Bugs Me, and maybe a few other pages (like the Moments or the Fuels) but most certianly not main.

Put me in motion, drink the potion, use the lotion, drain the ocean, cause commotion, fake devotion, entertain a notion, be Nova Scotian

Yup. Nuke on sight in Main.

Goal: Clear, Concise and Witty

Cool, thanks.

And do remember that the character sheets count as part of the Main page.

Something that's come up fairly often that I haven't seen a clear answer on: What is the policy on This Troper and subjectives? I see quite a lot of it while splitting up Tear Jerker pages in the Big Page Lock project, for example.

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My understanding is that it's only valid for things like Troper Tales or It Just Bugs Me!, where the page is, by design specifically for individual opinions.*

YMMV tropes, while subjective, are still supposed to avoid Thread Mode, and should ideally look like the work of a single author just like the Main pages.

Jet-a-Reeno!

Also, do not delete the phrase This Troper on pages were you are supposed to write in first person.

If you do use This Troper, This Troper suggests that it's best to pothole it to your handle.

Rhymes with "Protracted."

Fuck that. Just don't use it.

Goal: Clear, Concise and Witty

But in terms of Troper Tales, I still dispise This Troper. At least use I. Maybe we can rename this article to something else so we can TRULY make this part of the Permanent Red Link Club? This will decrease usage, similar to I Am Not Making This Up. How about Anti First Person?

I'm all for that.

Keeping wiki policy pages redlinked is sorta counter-intuitive.

Put me in motion, drink the potion, use the lotion, drain the ocean, cause commotion, fake devotion, entertain a notion, be Nova Scotian

Bump. This rename needs to happen ASAP. It will go VERY far to improve this wiki. More suggestions: Write In The Third Person, Dont Use I In Main, Examples Should Seem Like One Person.

Anti First Person sounds great and rolls of the tongue, once you use 'This Troper' you'll see that it comes up as "Anti First Person" and it not only breaks the flow of your input, but also serves as a backlash smack to the face telling you not to do that.

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Technically, using "This Troper" instead of "I" or "Me" is third-person.

Rhymes with "Protracted."

That just makes the poster be thrown for even more of a loop. Just because it's in third-person doesn't make it a 'get out of misuse free' card.

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What if someone is uncertain as to whether or not something is an example, not because they are uncertain about the trope, but about the work? Say they saw a scene out of context on TV, don't remember what it was from, would saying "this troper saw X" be acceptable?

No. The solution in that case is to ask in the discussion page or You Know That Show.

Rhymes with "Protracted."

No.

If you're not sure if it's an example, put it up in the discussion page. Confirm whether it is or isn't an example before putting it on a page.

Fight. Struggle. Endure. Suffer. LIVE.

Ah, forgot about discussion pages.

Oops. I forgot This Troper is third-person. My mistake.

How about Dont Refer To Yourself?

I still have this ykttw for this, called "There Is No 'I' In 'Example'".

I'm on the internet. My arguments are invalid.

Okay, I gotta ask: how long was "This troper" acceptable here, and what happened to make people decide it no longer was?

Also, am I the only one who thinks it's overkill to delete somebody's entire contribution to a page just because they referred to themselves in some way? These days when I see something like that, I'll just remove "I" or "This troper" and leave the rest as is, but looking at the page histories I see that others just get rid of everything.

Lastly, what's the policy for a page like Sweet Dreams Fuel, which is pretty subjective? It's supposed to be a feel-good page, and if somebody were to write about something that makes them feel happy there only to have it unceremoniously deleted because they used one or two wrong words, I imagine that'd be a hell of a downer.

edited 13th May '11 7:58:39 AM by KilgoreTrout

I can only answer the second one: Yes, it is overkill. People find it easier to just go in and zap the entire line rather than rewrite it from a new perspective. The same thing happens with some of the lesser "natter," when all it needed was a minor rewrite or a merge with an existing bullet and it gets nuked entirely.